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disappointed

This is about a day trip from Singapore recommended by Fodor's lastest Singapore guide. I went on this trip because it was recommended in Fodor's. What a disappointment.

The trip is to Tanjung Pinang, Indonesia. It is about an 1 1/2 ferry ride from Singapore. That part was OK. When we disembarked at Tanjung Pinang, we found a very squallid city and not the quaint town portrayed in the guide.

We were going to go on a Snake River trip, recommended in the guide, to see the oldest Chineses temple in Riau and its murals of hell.

We did eventully find someone who spoke some English to take us on his river boat up the river, but he nor anyone else had any idea where this particular temple was to be found. We did see 3 temples, but they were fairly unattended and somewhat neglected.

We did get to Pulau Penyengat also mentioned in the guide and that was somewhat interesting. All in all a not very comfortable day, and I thought pretty much a waste of time. Very disappointed in Fodor's Guide Book on Singapore.

Kathy: While I love these Fodors forums, I have to say that I, too, have had problems with recommendations in Fodor's guide books over the years. In fact, I no longer buy Fodor's guidebooks as I had one too many negative experiences with places they had recommended (in the U.S., Canada, and Europe). For the past several years I have been relying primarily on Frommers and have found them much better. Fodors claims that they update all the info in their books every year, but it is obvious that they do not. I am currently planning a trip to Costa Rica. One of the hotels we have made a reservation at changed its name several years ago and virtually every Costa Rica guidebook I have seen reflects the hotel's new name -- except Fodor's (and I even checked the brand-new Fodor's 2000 Costa Rica book that just came out, and it too still has the old name of the hotel). This makes me suspect that they simply do not update their guidebooks adequately, and your post reinforces that suspicion as well.

As a freelance who writes for several guidebooks I have to add my opinion from the inside. Fodor's does the heaviest fact-checking of any of the four major travel publishers I've written for. But at present, only their most popular destinations are updated yearly. I have a feeling this may soon change. I have found mistakes in all guidebooks, as I use many of these secondary resources when researching. Things do change. It's why there are so many caveats at the beginning of the book! I suggest using a guidebook and the web (but many well-meaning posters make big statements, big mistakes--and poor judgment calls too). Pick and choose carefully, and use an old-fashioned travel agent who specializes in booking the area you are going to.